


Deviation #1

by JayBarou



Series: Things that could have been Different in Endgame [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, spoiler warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 15:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18607669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayBarou/pseuds/JayBarou
Summary: The one where Loki stayed behind for a piece of the action.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are so many things that could have been different...  
> I'm just processing Endgame with fanfics.

“I’ve seen Loki”

Loki was sure he had not been seen, but this was... peculiar. And it confirmed his suspicions of having seen two Starks right when the Tesseract landed in front of him.

Two Captain America this time, as if the world needed more copies of his brother. He wondered if his brother had an actual copy too, maybe himself? Were those clones or robots, or something entirely different?

Both men fought right past his invisibility spell and Loki saw them tumble around.

In any case, one of the Americas had the scepter, and Loki needed it back, it was the whole reason he hadn’t traveled farther with the Tesseract. Thanos would not be merciful, and he would want his head for his failure, but maybe if he retrieved both relics... Who was he kidding? Thanos would hunt him down anyway, if Loki had both things in his power it was far less likely that Thanos would reach him too soon.

Just when he was about to steal the case with the scepter, both fighters pushed it over the railing to the ground five floors below, and with the push they managed to push Loki too, who lost control of his spell and did the first thing that came to mind.

Both fighters turned to look at him and he put his finger to his ear the way one of the heroes had done.

“Thor, can your brother make clones while shapeshifted?”

The other two fighters were stunned by the third Captain America for half a second, then the two of them jumped to act. And by act, he meant hit.

The tree of them tried to grab the scepter and the other two prevented it.

“Bucky is alive,” said one of the men.

The other was surprised and got a fist in his face for the trouble. Then the Bucky-knowing man did something that Loki wouldn’t expect of a hero. He used the scepter on the other man, and Loki was not good with spur-of-the-moment decisions, but he decided that he wouldn’t risk being under the influence of that thing again. By the time the scepter-wielding man turned, Loki had left, or so he thought. 


	2. Deviation #2

Turning invisible was such a useful trick, and the situation required further inspection. He followed the remaining Captain America with the utmost care to not step on anything that could give him away. Navigated the halls and the debris-filled streets while thinking what could make a copy of a Human, with human memories, if the Bucky-thing incident was any sign, and still make both of them different enough to fight each other. He needed to know, and he needed to keep an eye on the scepter. 

His stalking took him to yet another debris-filled street where he found Stark and another human. The tree of them were discussing their failure to acquire the Tesseract. Despite how vague they were, it was easy to connect the dots for someone who already knew who Thanos was and what he was attempting. And Loki was still reeling from the fact that those tiny humans had made time-traveling possible when he saw that they were going to try the impossible by time-traveling while time-traveling. And without consulting an expert. It was such an idiot thing to do! They were risking their fight against Thanos on a Jotun's chance on Muspel!

"Do you trust me?" said Stark looking into the Captain's eyes with a depth that spoke of a hundred things that Loki ignored.

"Wait!" He shouted, while still invisible. 

His mere voice must have made an impression because the two of them prepared to fight instantly. Loki almost chuckled, how quaint. He stepped out of his spell and dodged a repulsor to the face.

"Am I correct in assuming you are traveling in time?" He dodged a shield to the face. What did heroes have against his face? "You are collecting the infinity stones, right?"

"Hand over the Tesseract or go away, Loki. This has nothing to do with you."

"Oh, but it does." He produced the Tesseract and showed it to them. 

They clearly didn't know what to do with that so he kept talking. 

"I might be convinced of giving this to you." He waited. The nameless human looked at the Tesseract like candy, the Avengers were looking at him, with suspicion and interest. 

"Why would you do that?" The captain asked. 

"I'm not heartless." Loki smiled his most saccharine smile. "And in exchange for a boon."

"What kind of boon?" The captain narrowed his eyes. 

"To kill Thanos for you!" Stark said, surprising even himself. 

"If you time-travel, the idea is to kill him **before** he gets his hands on me."

"What? On you? What is?"

"I knew this was somehow linked."

But Loki wasn't listening to them, only to the other human. 

"That's not how time works."

Loki took the Tesseract closer to himself. "Then take me with you to the future."

"That's not how time works either."

And with that, his hopes fluttered and died, and it was replaced with rage. "Is that all you can say? It doesn't work that way? How **does** it work then?"

"But we can kill him before he gets his hands on you again. Would that be enough?" Stark tried to placate him. 

Loki considered it carefully.

"Again... Then he **does** get to me in the end, doesn't he?"

"We are trying to bring back the people he killed when he got the stones."

Loki doubted. And he wasn't sure why. He wanted Thanos dead more than anything, and if he wanted to keep Thanos away from the stones, sending them to the future was as good as it gets. 

"'The people he killed with the stones', I can't help but notice your wording, human. It is interesting. You imply you'll get me back to life, but you are not saying it. Are you afraid I'd smell a lie?" Loki got closer to Tony and handed him the Tesseract.

Stark looked at it without knowing what to do. "Huh, okay, I guess, thank you?"

Loki smirked. "Maybe I should meet the Stark in my time alone for that drink and suggest to him the idea of time travel. Maybe he'll explain how it actually works."

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I accept suggestions for more Alternate Endgame ficlets.


End file.
